After Comments Against Colonel Qureshi, Minister Gets Support From Colleague

Hours after the Supreme Court today ordered Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah to "go and apologise" to Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi over his insensitive comments on her, another state minister has come to his support.

BJP MLA and Madhya Pradesh minister Pratima Bagri said the words Mr Shah used were "inappropriate", but he has "clearly apologised" and is willing to offer apologies as many times as needed.

Mr Shah's remarks, which have drawn widespread criticism from the Opposition, military veterans, and even some members of the ruling BJP, led to a first information report (FIR) against the minister.

The Supreme Court also declined to stay the Madhya Pradesh High Court's directive to start criminal proceedings against Mr Shah, and rejected a petition for interim protection from arrest.

Coming in support of her party colleague today, Ms Bagri said Mr Shah's comment was presented incorrectly, for which he had already apologised.

"The words used in his statement were inappropriate. He has also issued a clarification saying what he meant was different. Certainly, there has been a misrepresentation of words, but there was no intent to insult anyone," the Minister of State for Urban Development and Housing said.

"He has clearly apologised for it. If he has to apologise repeatedly depending on the situation, he is ready to do so, which also shows that he did not intend to offend anyone. The statement was presented incorrectly. It was shown in a wrong way, for which minister Vijay Shah has already apologised," Ms Bagri added.

Mr Shah made the comments at a public address in Indore's Raikunda village on May 12. The comments were widely perceived as communal, gendered, and derogatory toward Colonel Qureshi, a senior Indian Army officer who has become a mainstay in national press briefings on Operation Sindoor, often appearing alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.

In his speech, Mr Shah referenced the recent Pakistan-linked terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed, and attempted to draw a contrast with the Indian military's response.

He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "sent their [terrorists'] sister" -- a veiled reference to Colonel Qureshi -- aboard a military aircraft to retaliate against those responsible.